Stila Black Cherry Lip Glaze Review

I like the idea of creating/modifying lip colors by using different combinations of lipstick + lip liner + lip gloss. Since December I’ve been doing lip gloss on top of lipstick (still a bit lazy to include lip liner as well) and the Stila Black Cherry Lip Glaze is the gloss I’ve used most often for that.

Stila’s Lip Glazes are one of their most popular products and on their website there are 26 shades to choose from in the core collection of Lip Glazes. During the Christmas holidays Stila often releases limited edition Lip Glaze trios and larger sets. The Black Cherry shade is part of the core collection of Lip Glazes as well as the 2013 All Is Bright Lip Glaze Set. It’s a really nice color for fall/winter.

I bought this product for its color. Black Cherry is described by Stila as a ‘dark cherry with red pearl’. The pearl or shimmer particles in this are very small. If I look at the tube closely I see them, however when the Lip Glaze is swatched or worn, they’re really barely visible.

Black Cherry, to my eyes, is a sheer, pinky plum. I find it a little too sheer to wear on its own. Layered on top of a lipstick is where it (literally) shines. Worn alone on my lips, it imparts just a little color. But layered over lip colors in the same cool-toned, purple-y family, Black Cherry turns them a touch darker, more plummy. One of my favorite lippies to pair it with is MAC’s Lavender Whip, a pinkish lavender, which, although quite pretty, clashes with my warm, yellowy skin tone. Putting Stila’s Black Cherry over it turns Lavender Whip to a lovely orchid shade that’s more wearable.

The Stila Black Cherry Lip Glaze is quite shiny, and the shine it leaves lasts for an hour or so. The color of it fades from the lips after a maximum of about three hours, which for me isn’t bad for a lip gloss. I find that it’s neither drying nor hydrating.I think the decent staying power is due to the stickiness of this Lip Glaze. The stickiness is almost like that of MAC Lipglasses, though Lipglasses still have a stickier feel. Personally, some days, like when I want to play with color, I don’t mind it, while other days I prefer a matte lip. You will want to steer clear from this if you dislike sticky glosses.

The Stila Black Cherry Lip Glaze has a sweet, fruity scent that I find pleasant and not too heavy. It has no discernible taste. As for the packaging of the Lip Glaze I’ve always disliked it—the tube, which has to be twisted at one end for product to come out of the brush on the other end, always dispenses either too little or too much product. In my case there’s almost always excess product leftover on the brush and it’s so wasteful. The packaging keeps me from buying more shades. Black Cherry I really liked and couldn’t resist.Stila Lip Glazes cost 22 USD each.

Pros of Stila Black Cherry Lip Glaze

• Wearable, pretty, sheer color that’s great for pairing with lipsticks of a similar undertone.
• Has decent wear time for a lip gloss.
• Doesn’t have any discernible taste.
• Smells nice.
• Doesn’t irritate or dry out my lips.

Cons of Stila Black Cherry Lip Glaze

• The twist-pen packaging. Often dispenses too much/too little.
• A little too sheer to wear alone.
• Has a sticky feel.
• Expensive.Overall:
The shade of the Stila Black Cherry Lip Glaze is its most notable quality. It’s pretty, plays well with other colors, and should suit a variety of skin tones. Aside from that, this product’s other aspects are just okay. I wouldn’t purchase another Lip Glaze unless I spot another exceptional shade like Black Cherry.